Anderson takes new VP role; reporting lines realigned
Danny Anderson's job requires a mix of the philosophical and the practical. On one hand, he supports efforts to ensure the quality of a KU education and participates in discussions about ways to keep KU affordable. On the other, he will at times be part of implementing new policies on short notice and responding to the unexpected.
Danny Anderson
Anderson was named vice provost for academic affairs earlier this year. He took the position June 1, succeeding Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett, who returned to teaching full time after serving as senior vice provost. With Anderson's arrival came some changes to reporting lines and responsibilities of the office. Chief among the changes, Human Resources and Equal Opportunity now reports to his office. Anderson said he is working with staff there on several projects, such as implementing a new criminal background checks policy mandated by the Kansas Board of Regents, participating in the new employee orientation and analyzing results of a recent self-study and external evaluation of the department.
Anderson, who described his position in part as a central liaison, also will work closely with several other offices. International Programs, Continuing Education and the Multicultural Scholars Program will continue to report to his office. He also is liaison for the School of Education. He works closely with Jane Rosenthal, privacy coordinator and custodian of records, to ensure that sensitive information is handled properly. Principal among his duties is coordination with the Kansas Board of Regents for the review of academic degree programs as well as the approval of new degrees.
He will work closely with the board, attending meetings regularly and reporting to members on the universitywide performance indicators related to learning outcomes such as the Research Experience Program, the Global Awareness Program, the Service Learning Certificate and Learning Communities.
"On the one hand, I'm a sounding board to help these offices and their employees think about what they want to do and how to accomplish their goals," Anderson said. "On the other hand, I am involved in establishing our institutional priorities as they relate to students' educational experiences and our institutional mission as a research university."
Long-range projects related to the educational experience will be a priority for Anderson's office. Along with Heidi Chumley, director of pre-doctoral education at the KU Medical Center, he is working closely with the teaching and learning recommendations of Initiative 2015, KU's recently created long-term strategic plan. He also will have a hand in ensuring KU continues to attract the best students possible, through projects such as the Latino Vision Council and analysis of community college transfer numbers and articulation agreements.
Anderson, who has been on the faculty since 1988, said he thinks the various positions he has held at KU will help him understand the interests and missions of those he works with. A professor of Spanish and Portuguese, he chaired that department for five years and was named associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2006.
Email Page
Print Page